ECR Projects

Explore past and current fundamental STEM education research projects across the three research areas that NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program funds, as well as across ECR funding types. Other search filters draw from both NSF's data and the ECR Hub's hand coding of award abstracts.

Ninth-grade biology students create cell models using clay.

ECR Projects

FIND PROJECTS
BY KEYWORD

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Investigating how STEM Baccalaureate Graduates use Assets Developed through Higher Education to Navigate Career Transitions

Effective: 2022-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Heather L Thiry

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

This project focuses on a critical juncture in the STEM education and workforce pipeline, the transition of community college students into baccalaureate degree programs and potentially to graduate school. This transition period is especially important for students from groups that are underrepresented in their overall participation in STEM fields of study. The goal of the investigators is to understand how STEM transfer students use assets, such as disciplinary co-curricular opportunities...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Science Education Instruction for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities

Effective: 2022-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: William J Therrien

Institution: University of Virginia Main Campus

Scientific literacy is essential for everyone. Unfortunately, many students with learning disabilities (LD) do not do well in science and, in turn, have limited career opportunities in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). For students’ with LD, difficulties in science start early, with a large achievement gap between students with LD and typically achieving peers evident by early elementary school. More concerning is that this science achievement discrepancy widens...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

The Organizational Climate Challenge: Promoting the Retention of Students from Underrepresented Groups in Doctoral Engineering Programs

Effective: 2022-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Julie Aldridge, Nicole Else-Quest, Joseph Roy, So Yoon Yoon

Institutions: Ohio State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, American Society For Engineering Education, University of Cincinnati Main Campus

The ongoing lack of diversity in the engineering doctoral workforce remains a significant problem with far-reaching implications for the US economy. The long-term vitality of the US workforce relies on the full range of engineering career pathways being available to all Americans. A diverse STEM workforce is more creative and innovative. While the number of women completing STEM doctorates has risen, the proportion of women earning engineering doctorates remains low. And, in 2019, while 24.1%...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

A qualitative inquiry into sex/gender narratives in undergraduate biology and their impacts on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Aramati A Casper, Sarah L Eddy, Amanda K Lane

Institutions: Colorado State University, Florida International University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

This project examines how a more accurate curriculum about the diversity of sexes found across species, the role of the environment in sex determination, and the complex relationship between sex and gender can create a more inclusive environment for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (TNG) students in undergraduate biology courses. Research indicates that rather than emphasizing the diversity of strategies and experiences that organisms have around sex, gender, and orientation,...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Achieving Critical Transformations in Undergraduate Programs in Mathematics (ACT UP Math)

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Wendy M Smith

Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2201486 AbstractThe disparity in achievement and access for students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in STEM are well documented, but there remains a lack of attention to what to do with this knowledge and how to measure the impact of improvement efforts beyond pass rates and demographics. While many university mathematics departments value providing diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) student experiences, the faculty often do not have the professional training to engage with DEI...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Analogy Training to Promote Science Learning

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Florencia K Anggoro, Dedre Gentner, Benjamin D Jee, Bryan Matlen

Institutions: College of the Holy Cross, Northwestern University, Worcester State University, WestEd

The goal of this project is to develop and test methods for training powerful thinking skills. Specifically, the research will explore techniques for improving students' analogical reasoning ability. The history of science has shown analogy to be a powerful tool in scientific discovery. And there is abundant evidence from laboratory and classroom studies that analogical comparison can improve students' ability to learn, especially in mathematics and science. For example, reading that sound...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Data in Space and Time: Supporting Learners in Understanding and Analyzing Spatiotemporal Data

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Chad Dorsey

Institution: Concord Consortium

Many of society’s biggest dilemmas and grandest opportunities involve extensive interpretation of complex data that vary across both space and time. Such spatio-temporal (ST) data stand at the forefront of the most critical decisions across practically all sectors of society, from making sense of changes in the climate and responses to the causes of socioeconomic differences to the understanding of global economic changes. Over the past few decades, analyzing and interpreting ST data has...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Developing a Framework for Assessing Identity Development, Retention and Success of STEM Social and Behavioral Scientists (STEM-SBS): The Case of Sociology

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Catherine Mobley

Institution: Clemson University

The project examines STEM social and behavioral scientists’ identity formation to produce results that can be used in designing programs to attract a larger and more diverse pool of students to these disciplines. The study investigates factors that influence the development of STEM social scientists who will engage in transdisciplinary scholarship, whether some programs do so more extensively and more effectively than others, and in what ways and why. It provides a qualitative focus on...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Developing a Scalable Measure of Inclusive STEM Teaching Practices for Diverse Institutions

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David S Yeager

Institution: University of Texas at Austin

Recently, psychological research on broadening participation in STEM has shifted from student-focused interventions (e.g., belonging or growth mindset interventions given to students) to context-focused interventions (aimed at instructors to create cultures of belonging or growth). Tools for evaluating the changes in instructors’ practices induced by these programs have been lacking, however. Popular self-report methods for instructors can be biased due to faulty recall or social desirability...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Dialogic gesture in collaborative sense making in physics

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Virginia J Flood

Institution: SUNY at Buffalo

Active, collaborative learning approaches are widely seen as effective ways for students to learn undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, learning outcomes are highly contingent on the quality of the interactional processes in which students engage. There is a great deal of research on successful verbal communicational practices in group work, but little is known about how nonverbal communicational practices like gesture contribute to successful...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Early Childhood Science, Technology, and Engineering Education: A Meta-analysis of Learning and Teaching Innovations

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Lynch

Institution: University of Connecticut

Sociodemographic inequities in children's science skills are already evident in the early school grades, and early disparities may contribute to long-run gaps in children's persistence and outcomes in STEM. To disrupt the nation’s long- standing and substantial inequities in science education and careers, interventions to strengthen early science learning are critical. This research synthesizes the cumulative impact of science, technology and engineering innovations on early childhood...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Examining the Mechanisms of the Math Anxiety-Math Achievement Link through a School-Based Grades 2-3 Intervention

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Colleen Ganley

Institution: Florida State University

Many children, adolescents, and adults experience math anxiety. Research has shown that math-anxious children typically continue to experience math anxiety as they get older. People with math anxiety tend to perform more poorly in math and are less likely to take advanced math courses or pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Thus, tackling math anxiety early on is important for mitigating negative impacts later in life. This project will develop and test a...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Facilitating Change in Undergraduate STEM: A multidisciplinary, multimethod metasynthesis mapping a decade of growth

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Marcos D Caballero, Noah D Finkelstein, Charles R Henderson, Scott P Simkins

Institutions: Michigan State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, Western Michigan University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University

Research has shown that the use of evidence-based, student-centered instructional strategies helps to increase learning, retention, and equity in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. However, it is also clear that commonly used change efforts have not made research-based instruction the norm in U.S. institutions of higher education. Outcomes from this synthetic research will be used to guide efforts to improve undergraduate STEM instruction to generate and...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Investigating Computer Science Departmental Diversity Efforts to Identify Levers for Change

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Wendy M DuBow

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

This study addresses the longstanding problem of the lack of diversity among persons studying and working in the field of computer science (CS). The statistics describing the gender and race/ethnicity of those who earn CS degrees tell a story of a discipline that has been slow to change. The percentage of CS undergraduate degrees that have been earned by women has barely risen in nearly two decades. The lack of representation of Hispanic, African American, and Native American students in...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Investigating Gender Differences in Digital Learning Games with Educational Data Mining

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Ryan Baker, Nicole Else-Quest, Bruce M McLaren, Timothy J Nokes-Malach, Jon R Star

Institutions: University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carnegie-Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University

Despite evidence that gender differences in math achievement have narrowed or disappeared in recent decades, stereotypes about men being better than women at math emerge early in childhood and persist through adulthood. These perceptions appear to influence female students’ interest and performance in math, as well as their pursuit of STEM careers. Given the potential motivational benefits of digital learning games, games might provide a pathway for reducing math anxiety for female students...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  

Investigating Pre-College Predictors and Post-Secondary Effects of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences in Texas

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Jacob Kirksey

Institution: Texas Tech University

The project aims to serve the national need to develop a diverse workforce in STEM careers. To address this need, institutions have developed course-based undergraduate research experiences in STEM to attract students to STEM careers. These research activities will produce evidence and insights about how course-based undergraduate research experiences in STEM are related to post-graduate workforce outcomes. Additionally, the research will identify pre-college student characteristics that...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Learning to observe: Unpacking teachers development of expertise in scientific observation

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Lauren Barth-Cohen, Sarah Braden

Institutions: University of Utah, Utah State University

Scientific observation is a ubiquitous discipline-specific skill that has been overlooked in contemporary science instruction. Instructional materials often treat scientific observation as a simple skill or a minor pedagogical challenge to be overcome. For secondary science teachers, challenges compound as they themselves are often emergent learners of this skill. Furthermore, the field has yet to develop explanatory frameworks for the development of expertise in observation. Existing research...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  

Preparing for the Future of the STEM Teacher Workforce in the 21st Century: Leveraging Multi-contextual Evidence

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: James C Anglum, Tuan D Nguyen

Institutions: Saint Louis University, Kansas State University

This project aims to identify trends in the demographics and turnover behavior of the STEM teacher workforce. It focuses on specific remedies and investments needed to retain prospective teachers in high-need schools, especially rural communities, and to improve outcomes for their students. The project includes two complementary studies, one using the National Teacher and Principal Survey (an update from the earlier Schools and Staffing Survey) and a second, using longitudinal administrative...

Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Race, Religion, and STEM: Examining the Intersections for Black Students

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Julie J Park

Institution: University of Maryland, College Park

This project will explore how Black undergraduate and graduate students in STEM view the relationship between religion and science, and the implications for their persistence in STEM. The project is of significance because religion and religious communities were recently identified as a vital source of support for many of Black students, although for STEM students the dichotomy between science and religion can be challenging. While numerous studies document perceived tensions between religion...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Research on the role of attention in improving video-based learning

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Lucas C Parra

Institution: CUNY City College

Education is moving online. During the global pandemic, this ongoing process accelerated and educators increasingly leveraged existing online video content to supplement synchronous remote instruction. One problem with this approach is that passive viewing of video content is not a particularly effective form of instruction. Many students struggle to sustain their attention to online video, and this is reflected in poor performance in subsequent tests of learning. This project will explore a...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Researching Early Access to Computing and Higher Education (REACH): Understanding CS pathways with a focus on Black women

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Bailey Brown, Rebecca Zarch

Institutions: Spelman College, SageFox Consulting Group, LLC

This research project seeks to examine longstanding inequities in access to and participation in computer science (CS) education. Decades of research have shown that certain subgroups (e.g., women, students with disabilities, underrepresented minority students) tend to face substantial barriers to participating in CS courses and programs. As computing education continues to expand in K-12 education systems, it is important to understand how early experiences in computing education relate to...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Supporting Reasoning with Multidimensional Datasets: Leveraging Student Intuitions Through Collaborative Data Production

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Lynn Stephens

Institution: Concord Consortium

It is increasingly vital that people be able to make sense of scientific data and extract information from public datasets in order to inform their decisions about everything from ballot initiatives on climate policy to personal choices about vaccines. The project has a long-term goal of broadening participation in STEM by making data literacy attainable by more students. The project will develop instructional design supports for high school students that build on their novice intuitions for...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Understanding Faculty, Academic Careers, and Environments in Service of Equity

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Adrianna Kezar

Institution: University of Southern California

This project addresses the fundamentally important question of who the faculty in the United States are, and how they advance knowledge and prepare the future workforce in STEM. Faculty are central to the success of higher education, and through teaching, research, and service, faculty contribute to the education of the future workforce in STEM, the advancement of knowledge, and the success of the higher education enterprise. Since 2004, when data was last collected for the National Study of...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Using Computational Modeling to Transform Assessments of Creativity in Engineering Design

Effective: 2022-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Roger E Beaty, Mark Fuge, Dan R Johnson

Institutions: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, University of Maryland, College Park, Washington and Lee University

This collaborative project from research teams at Pennsylvania State University, University of Maryland, and Washington and Lee University focuses on measuring creativity in undergraduate engineering education. The ability to think creatively is essential for success in STEM fields, particularly engineering, which requires designing solutions to complex problems that often have no single or "correct" solution. The Next Generation Science Standards identify creative thinking skills, such as...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Advancing Equity Goals in Secondary Classrooms by Incorporating Mathematical Justification in Teaching

Effective: 2022-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Kristen N Bieda, Megan E Staples

Institutions: Michigan State University, University of Connecticut

Creating and justifying mathematical claims is an essential learning goal and valued outcome of a mathematics education. To advance equitable learning outcomes, it is essential that teachers pursue this goal in ways that ensure every student has opportunities to develop and share justifications in their classrooms. The intended outcomes of this pilot study are: (1) practice-grounded, foundational knowledge about how students’ participation in mathematical justification can advance equity...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

CAREER TRAJECTORIES OF STEM DOCTORAL STUDENTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF LATENT GROUPS USING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE MEASURES AND METHODS

Effective: 2022-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: James R Neumeister

Institution: National Opinion Research Center

This research project focuses on understanding the experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups in STEM fields. Three aims frame the project team's research plan. First is to examine factors that influence and predict career trajectories of subgroups of STEM doctoral students and graduates based on their career motivations and aspirations. Second is to develop and integrate culturally responsive student and context-level measures to investigate the career pathways of STEM PhD students....

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Developing Teacher Learning Theory with Teachers and Students Animating Mathematical Concepts

Effective: 2021-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Higinio Dominguez, Gladys H Krause, Carlos A LopezLeiva

Institutions: Michigan State University, College of William and Mary, University of New Mexico

This project will advance theory for understanding teacher learning as it relates to mathematics teacher knowledge and student knowledge. The research team theorizes that teacher knowledge and student knowledge are not distinct. Specifically, this work challenges the longstanding idea in teacher education that a knowledge base for teaching pre-exists as a static body of knowledge awaiting to be discovered by teachers. Instead, this project examines what happens when teacher and student...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  

Examining Training Environments and Career Outcomes of Interdisciplinary STEM PhD Students

Effective: 2021-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Kevin M Kniffin, Stasa Milojevic, Bruce A Weinberg

Institutions: Cornell University, Indiana University, Ohio State University

This collaborative project with Ohio State University as the lead institution and Indiana University and Cornell University as partners examines the career outcomes across employment sectors of interdisciplinary graduate students, the environments in which they are trained, and how those environments relate to career outcomes. The investigators will use and expand an emerging infrastructure of data and measures to conduct a rich, multilevel analysis of individual career paths in the transition...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Staying in Science: Investigating STEM Persistence Among High School Youth

Effective: 2021-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Preeti Gupta

Institution: American Museum Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History plans to investigate the relationship between mentored research and youths’ STEM trajectory from high school to early college. The study builds on a previously funded project that examined the experiences of 733 high school youth who participated in an out-of-school, in-depth science research and mentoring program through the New York City Science Research Mentoring Consortium. The current study will examine how 380 of the initial participants navigate...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Sub-group Fair Coding Taken to Scale for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Learning

Effective: 2021-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David W Shaffer

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

This project will advance research in an important area needed for contributing to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians through the creation and validation of a process designed to effectively and fairly code educational data. Over its five-year duration, this project will develop and test an approach to coding data on learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It will do so in a manner that takes into account...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

The neurobiological mechanisms underlying gesture?s role in mathematical learning

Effective: 2021-2026

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Susan J Goldin-Meadow

Institution: University of Chicago

All speakers gesture when they talk. Gestures are a type of action––an action done in the air that does not directly affect objects. Both gestures and actions-on-objects can promote learning, but having gesture as part of a math lesson makes it easier to remember and extend that lesson than having action as part of the lesson. This program of research uses neural data to figure out why. Two hypotheses, both of which might be correct, are possible: (1) Gesture promotes learning by helping...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

ADVANCE and Beyond: Understanding Processes of Institutional Change to Promote STEM Equity and Education

Effective: 2021-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Sandra L Laursen

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

ADVANCE and Beyond: Understanding Processes of Institutional Change to Promote STEM Equity and EducationThis research has significance in seeking to provide evidence-based support to scholars and practitioners who are working to promote systemic institutional change in STEM higher education. To solve stubborn problems that lead to inequitable outcomes, such as biased faculty tenure and promotion processes, uneven leadership opportunities, and hostile departmental climates, requires more than a...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Effects of Combined Attention and Academic Interventions for Kindergarten Children with Significant Difficulties in Mathematics

Effective: 2021-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Marcia Barnes

Institution: Vanderbilt University

Low math skills significantly limit access to post-secondary education, employment, and lifetime earnings. Because math difficulties can be detected early in schooling, early intervention is key for preventing the negative consequences of persistent low math achievement. Kindergarten is a particularly important developmental time-window within which to intervene given that children who enter and exit kindergarten with low math knowledge are at high risk for having long-term difficulties in...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Effects of Mentoring Relationship Heterogeneity on Student Outcomes among NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program Participants

Effective: 2021-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Sara E Grineski, Danielle Morales

Institutions: University of Utah, Worcester State University, University of Texas at El Paso

Understanding mentoring relationships is critical to increasing diversity in STEM fields. Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Utah propose to study the effects of mentor relationship mismatch on student outcomes during NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs. This project aims to employ a novel approach to studying mentoring by examining multilevel mentoring and demographics of students and the mentor team. The project aims to collect data...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Mapping professional support networks of women and gender and sexual minorities in physics

Effective: 2021-2025

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Ramon Barthelemy, Charles R Henderson, Adrienne Traxler

Institutions: University of Utah, Western Michigan University, Wright State University

This project is a collaboration among the University of Utah as the lead institution and Western Michigan University and Wright State University as partners to investigate how women and gender and sexual minorities (GSM) construct and navigate their professional networks to support their post PhD physics careers. The goal is to use social network analysis with qualitative methods to characterize the professional support networks of women and GSM physicists to test the central hypothesis:...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Advancing the Cognitive Science of Instruction: Testing the Role of Pedagogical Sequences, Scaffolding, and Prior Knowledge

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Logan Fiorella

Institution: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc

With support from NSF’s EHR Core Research (ECR) program, this project seeks to serve the national interest by identifying effective instructional methods to support student understanding of core science concepts. This project will study learning in the biological sciences among introductory and advanced undergraduates. Science educators and policy makers aim to facilitate students’ development of deep conceptual understanding and the ability to solve novel problems in the classroom and the...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

An Evidence-Based Approach Towards Technology Workforce Expansion by Increasing Female Participation in STEM Entrepreneurship

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Jonathan T Eckhardt, Brent D Goldfarb

Institutions: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Maryland, College Park

This is a collaborative project, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the lead institution and the University of Maryland as the partnering institution, to explore the entrepreneurial proclivity of undergraduate women majoring in STEM fields. The researchers propose a multi-method approach led by an interdisciplinary team to (1) identify factors that influence entrepreneurial proclivity and (2) develop and test interventions related to closing gender disparities in STEM entrepreneurship....

Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Beyond Representation: Adversity Experiences on STEM Motivation, Performance, and Persistence

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Jonathan E Cook, Ciara Glover

Institutions: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc.

Understanding the impact of adversity experiences on STEM persistence and performance is significant to broaden participation of individuals from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented. Researchers at Georgia State University and Pennsylvania State University aim to study the effects of adversity experiences on student motivation to pursue STEM majors and student persistence and performance in STEM degree programs. The project aims to develop and use a model that predicts how...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Broadening Participation and the Culture of Undergraduate Research Experiences

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Dustin B Thoman

Institution: San Diego State University Foundation

It is critically important that the United States create and maintain a thriving scientific workforce that propels future discoveries and innovations. The academic research laboratory is an essential context where students learn what science is, what is expected of a scientist, and decide whether they will pursue or persist within the scientific community. This project investigates the transmission of norms, expectations, and values between and among scientists, their students, and their...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Building a Learning Model of Youths’ Community-Based Critical Data Practices

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Angela Calabrese Barton

Institution: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The primary objective of this study is to develop, test and refine a model to describe how youth develop knowledge within their communities using critical data practices. Critical data practices include what youth do with, in relation to, and oriented around data to learn about their world and solve new problems. For example, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, youth have engaged with data such as local COVID-19 dashboards for their schools and cities, visualizations of viral spread, and social...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Characterizing and assessing number sense in third through eighth grade students

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Nicole M McNeil

Institution: University of Notre Dame

One goal of mathematics curricular and instructional reforms in the United States is to help students build “mature number sense,” which involves making sense of numbers and operations, using reasoning to notice patterns, and flexibly selecting the most effective and efficient problem-solving strategies. In support of this goal, mathematics educators have developed a variety of instructional practices designed to move students beyond seeing mathematics as a set of disconnected procedures...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Computational Modeling for Integrating Science and Engineering Design: Model Construction, Manipulation, and Exploration

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Satabdi Basu, Gautam Biswas

Institutions: SRI International, Vanderbilt University

Computational Modeling for Integrating Science and Engineering Design (CMISE) will conduct a series of experiments to systematically compare different computational modeling activities on 5th and 6th grade students’ engineering design processes, their understanding of engineering, science and computational thinking concepts, as well as science teachers’ confidence and ability to implement integrated STEM and computing curricula. Computational modeling involves a high cognitive load, and...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Developing Authentic and Fair Computer Science Assessments

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Amy J Ko, Mo Zhang

Institutions: University of Washington, Educational Testing Service

This project aims to promote equitable design of Computer Science (CS) assessment in secondary and post-secondary education in the United States and globally, increasing the diversity of students engaging in CS learning through reduced test bias. In this study, we aim to address difficulties in assessing computer programming by investigating critical characteristics of programming tasks using both response process and product data. Findings will have direct practical implications for developing...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  

Developing the STEM Workforce: Career Pathways of Math and Science Teachers in Texas and Washington after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David S Knight

Institution: University of Washington

The University of Washington is conducting an interdisciplinary research project that analyzes math and science teacher career pathways using longitudinal statewide data from Washington and Texas and the Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) Longitudinal Study dataset. There are three project objectives: (1) To inform evidence-based policies and practices for improving the math and science teacher workforce by studying the long-term career paths of those who leave teaching, (2) To build an...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Equity in PreK-12 STEM Education

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Heidi Schweingruber

Institution: National Academy of Sciences

Inequity in education is a critical issue in the United States with well-documented evidence that many students receive substantially lower quality educations due to structural inequity in public schooling. These inequities are particularly pronounced in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education where issues of access to high quality instruction and advanced coursework are intertwined with stereotypes and biases about which students can succeed in STEM. Using the...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Examining the use of micro-internships to leverage scalable learning for STEM workforce development among people experiencing homelessness

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Michelle Friend

Institution: University of Nebraska at Omaha

Researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Southern Methodist University will investigate the efficacy of a Work-Learn model for providing individuals experiencing homelessness with the skills and scaffolding that will enable them to enter the job market. The research team will examine the impact of integrating micro-internships with online courses targeting computer science skills for homeless adult learners and analyze the interaction among group dynamics and learner success and...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

External Review Letters in Promotion and Tenure Decision Making: Validity and Fairness

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Juan M Madera

Institution: University of Houston

Promotion and tenure decisions at universities are of critical significance to the integrity of the research enterprise because they determine the career progression of scholars and scientists. Despite significant investments in pipeline interventions to diversify academia, faculty of color and women are underrepresented in tenured and tenure track positions. Underrepresentation has important implications for the nation's prospects of developing a diverse STEM workforce. For undergraduate and...

STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

How Do Unrepresentative College Grades Shape Race and Gender Gaps in the STEM Pipeline?

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Daniel Klasik

Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

While course grades are a primary way instructors communicate with students about their academic performance, there is less research on how grades are interpreted differently by college students. As a result, differential responses to grades may affect which students pursue STEM degrees and may therefore be an important contributing factor in the well documented gender and race/ethnicity gaps in STEM degrees. Prior studies examining this hypothesis, however, have been largely limited to...

STEM Workforce Development STEM Workforce Development  STEM Learning and Learning Environments STEM Learning and Learning Environments  
Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Identifying and Reducing Gender Bias in STEM: Systematically Synthesizing the Experimental Evidence

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David I Miller

Institution: American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences

This project will integrate high-quality experimental evidence on the existence of, and strategies to reduce, gender bias in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including how gender bias may intersect with other identities such as race and ethnicity. Biases favoring men could thwart women’s training and careers in STEM fields in many ways, but research also suggests promising interventions for changing biased cultures and structures. This project will synthesize...

Broadening Participation in STEM Broadening Participation in STEM

Ideological Roadblocks to Diversifying STEM: Resistance and Allyship in STEM Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Effective: 2021-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Erin A Cech

Institution: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ideological Roadblocks to Diversifying STEM: Resistance and Allyship in STEM Diversity and Inclusion EffortsThe aim of this project is to break important ground in STEM inequality research by better understanding how powerful and privileged groups in STEM respond to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in their workplaces and professions. Despite the millions of dollars invested each year in DEI-related training, recruitment, and retention efforts, STEM fields have struggled to...

Showing 50 records per page:

 previous page of results12345678 next page of results